The Buckskin Line [Abridged] [Audio Cassette]

Elmer Kelton (Author), Richard McGonagle (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1999

On the Texas frontier in the 1840s, a red-haired child whose family has been massacred is captured by a Comanche war party led by a great warrior named Buffalo Caller. The boy is rescued by Mike Shannon, a Mexican War veteran riding with a "ranging company" of Texans dedicated to protecting settlers against Indian raids, and is adopted by the Shannon family. In 1861 his adoptive father is bushwhacked and murdered and the boy--now known as Rusty Shannon--follows Mike's footsteps, riding to Fort Belknap to join the Rangers. Texas is now in the throes of secession and Union sympathizers are treated as traitors. One such "traitor" is Lon Monahan, whose family befriends Rusty. Lon Monahan's particular enemy is Colonel Caleb Dawkins, a former army officer and Confederate zealot determined to conscript the Monahan boys and drive Lon and all Unionists out of Texas. When the youngest Monahan attempts to escape Texas and wait out the war, Dawkins's thugs hang him and his father. Rusty Shannon carries heavy burdens. Both of his families are dead; he is haunted by Mike Shannon's murder, thinks he knows the culprit and intends to kill the man; his new-found friends have been lynched; and his duties as a Ranger conflict with his sense of justice. And he is fated to meet again the Comanche warrior whose band killed his family and took him captive over two decades ago: Buffalo Caller.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Six-time Spur Award-winner Kelton, author of more than 40 westerns (The Smiling Country, etc.), once again presents a solid story of murder, revenge and Indian fighting, in which almost everyone but the unlikely hero is quick on the draw. Rusty Shannon is a young Texas Ranger in 1861, full of lofty ideals and a sense of duty. After his parents were killed in a Comanche raid, he was raised by Mike Shannon, a tough Ranger veteran. Now, as the Civil War looms and secessionist fever runs high, Mike is murdered for his outspoken political views, and some of Rusty's friends are lynched by a Yankee-hating zealot. Rusty vows revenge, but revenge must wait. With Union troops gone from Texas, there is a constant threat of bloody Comanche raids on the undefended frontier. Meanwhile, the Rangers must ride the dangerous middle ground between strong pro-South and pro-North sentiments. Still undecided about which side to take, Rusty makes his fair share of mistakes, but in the end, murder and lynching are resolved, and he finally meets his parents' killer in an Indian fight. This is a rousing tale of the Texas Rangers, early Texas history and of a brave and thoughtful young Westerner. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Texan Elmer Kelton has won the Western Writers of America's Spur Award so many times the organization's members have voted him "the greatest western writer of all time." His latest, dealing with the formation and reformation of the Texas Rangers as well as some of the last gasps of Comanche strength in battle, gives him still another mark in the win column. The story opens with a Comanche warrior named Buffalo Caller who abducts a red-haired white boy and then loses him to other whites while retreating from a raid. It ends with Buffalo Caller's end. With that as the frame, the main body of the tale deals with the redheaded boy, David "Rusty" Shannon; Daddy Mike Shannon, the man who saves him and raises him; and some of those who both ride and fight beside him. There is also the Monahan family and most importantly, Rusty's love, young Geneva Monahan. As always, Kelton gives his characters flesh, bone, and body heat; puts them in believable situations; and tells their story with clarity and economy. If he isn't "the best western writer of all time," he's awfully close. Budd Arthur --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Dove Entertainment Inc; Abridged edition (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787120057
• ISBN-13: 978-0787120054
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,528,354 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elmer Kelton of San Angelo, Texas is a native Texan and author of over 50 Western novels. He has won many awards for his work and has been recognized as the Greatest Western Writer of all time by the Western Writers of America, Inc. He is the author of Forge's Texas Ranger series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book from a great author, April 19, 2000

By 

James Drury - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Buckskin Line (Hardcover)

Please, please don't pay any attention to that last reader. I don't know what genre he reads, but it is apparently not western. Elmer Kelton is one of the best western writers alive. This was a great example of his work.

I used to play The Virginian on television for nine years with many great actors. I read the work of many writers, and there are very few as good as Kelton for realism and grit. The only man who can match him is Kirby Jonas, whose books I record on audio. They call Jonas the New Louis L'Amour. But as far as I'm concerned, and I've seen this written elsewhere by other reviewers, you don't need any other writers than Kelton and Jonas. Give the Buckskin Line a chance! You won't be sorry. Then try Death of an Eagle, by Kirby Jonas.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Character rich, classic Kelton!, November 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Buckskin Line (Hardcover)

If you want to know why the Western Writers of America have endowed Elmer Kelton with six Spur Awards and voted him greatest Western writer of all time, read THE BUCKSKIN LINE. The main character, Rusty Shannon, joins the Texas Rangers in a time before they were formally organized and glazed with glamour and prestige. Rusty's role with the Rangers takes a personal turn when he's forced to confront Buffalo Caller, the Comanche responsible for the slaying of his family during his boyhood. This encounter, along with the meeting of beautiful Geneva Monahan, casts the setting for another remarkable Kelton tale, character rich and full of Texas history. A must read, not just for fans of Western Literature, but for anyone who appreciates quality writing and a surefire adventure.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good and thoughtful Western, July 31, 2003

By 

Eric D Christ (Sun City, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Buckskin Line (Texas Rangers) (Mass Market Paperback)

It's been ages since I've read a Western. The genre doesn't seem to be very popular these days. The library shelves are filled with Zane Gray and Louis L'Amour, as if they were still alive and pumping out the books. I wish L'Amour were still around - he's one of my favorite writers, and I've yet to read another Western author who enchanted me the way L'Amour did.
But I did find this little book at my local library, and decided to give it a try. I had seen other Kelton books but for whatever reason never checked them out. I should have - he's a fine writer.
This book is quite good. The subtitle says it's a novel about the Texas rangers, but that's not entirely accurate. The protagonist, Rusty Shannon, is a member of the fledgling ranger patrol, but the rangers aren't central to the plot.
The novel begins with a historic raid of a Texas coastal town by Comanches in 1840. A child with red hair is taken captive by a warrior, Buffalo Caller, but is rescued by Mike Shannon. Mike and his wife adopt the boy as his own. His Christian name is David, but everyone calls him Rusty because of his red hair.
The book skips forward to 1859, and again to the early 1860s and the outbreak of the Civil War. Mike is murdered, and Rusty attempts to kill who he thinks is the killer, but Preacher Webb talks him out of it and convinces him to join the rangers on a remote outpost. Rusty meets up with a solid family with a babe daughter about his age (you know where that's going), but the family is solid Union, while the local bully is a Confederate determined to rid Texas of Yankee traitors. And there's still Comanches hanging around and causing trouble.
I've greatly simplified the plot. This is not your typical shoot 'em up Western, though there is plenty of action. It's a thoughtful examination of duty and loyalty, of Rusty's struggles to do the right thing in a maelstrom of strong emotions and murky moral lines.
This is a solid book, well-written and thoroughly researched. It's too early to claim Kelton as a worthy heir to L'Amour, but I'm going to read more of his books just the same.